Dr. Bahaa Helmy Writes: Cybersecurity Is Essential to Complete the Defense System

Article 31 of the Egyptian Constitution affirms that «the security of cyberspace is an integral part of the economic system and national security, and the State shall take the necessary measures to preserve it.» The term cyberspace («cyber») is recent; it was coined by the American William Gibson to describe the virtual environment of the internet and digital communications in his famous novel «Neuromancer», in 1984. Development in information and communications technology, however, has been astonishing, and cybercrime has become a challenge to legal and security agencies and to the sovereignty of states, given the shortcomings of current legislation both internationally and domestically. If these crimes have a negative effect on international trade and banking and may cause losses to companies worldwide of up to 2.1 trillion dollars by 2019, according to Cisco's Annual Security Report, they also affect personal rights and freedoms and threaten national security and national sovereignty, in addition to their negative effect on our children and access to prohibited sites. The danger is doubled for developing countries that have no technology of their own and depend on importing it from the developed countries that monopolize it, because developing countries are in the line of cyber-targeting, and their information is also at the mercy of the countries that hold the keys to the software and the means of protecting it. While terrorism revolves around bombings, the scope of cyber warfare extends to all walks of life, which led some to warn that the coming threat from the new terrorists, internet hackers, will be cross-border and deadly, after Russia launched a cyberattack on all official Georgian websites. China imposes strict electronic censorship on its cyberspace, which the Chinese newspaper Global Times described as a Great Firewall that will give China time to build its soft power against Western interference in opinion. States are paying increasing attention to cybersecurity: last May, the first meeting of specialists between America and China was held to discuss international cybersecurity, international norms, the conduct of states towards one another and cooperation to prevent cyber intrusions. An Asian security summit was held in Singapore to discuss cybersecurity in light of the theft of 81 million dollars from an account of Bangladesh's central bank last February, and India's representative expressed readiness to set up an army of 500,000 cyber inspectors within five years to combat sophisticated crimes. A Gulf conference last March discussed the risks of cybersecurity and its impact on digital ambitions, and a draft law on combating cybercrime is before the Egyptian House of Representatives. We believe that cybersecurity is essential to complete Egypt's defense system, and that issuing the law is one pillar of a security strategy based on: First: obliging public and private institutions and companies to appoint a cybersecurity manager, along the lines of the compliance officer in banks, with a level of competence to reduce cyber risks and respond to them quickly, in coordination with the Egyptian Computer Emergency Readiness Team responsible for coordinating cyberspace in Egypt. Second: establishing a specialized cyber army to protect and secure cyberspace, in coordination with the General Directorate of Information Technology at the Ministry of Interior and the State's competent intelligence agencies. Third: greater attention to and investment in technology, so that technology is produced and designed by national minds, not only for security and protection but also for export and to bring in hard currency. Fourth: spreading a culture of cybersecurity in schools, universities and institutes and raising public awareness through the media. Fifth: continuous international coordination and cooperation to combine security capabilities in dealing with threats and their substance without infringing on freedoms and rights, so as to achieve cybersecurity in both its aspects: the first, informational and technical; the second, legal and regulatory.